Cherry Pie and Inspiration: An Interview with Janet Lane Walters

Today, I’m doing an interview exchange with Janet Lane Walters. You can see my interview by clicking here. An excerpt from my new novel To Growl or to Groan will be up on Saturday.

Katya: What is your favorite word and give us an example of how you have used it in your writing?

Janet: Would you believe I have no real favorite word? Just words in general. I fell in love with books and words when I was about three when my grandfather taught me how to read. From then I was off and running with reading. This led to writing and my love for words increased. I’ve spent ages with the thesaurus just seeing where one word will lead to the next.

Katya: What do you do to find inspiration?

Janet: Inspiration is the last thing I need. I watch people walking on the street. I see a picture that engages me. I listen to children and grandchildren talking. I remember things from the days I worked as a nurse. Just life in general inspires me. Music. I’m a classical fan and also like hard rock. Get inspired there, too. In art, I rather like Edward Hopper (his home is just a few blocks from mine). Sorting through all of life is and should be an inspiration to any writer.

Katya: What was the hardest part of writing your latest book?

Janet: For me the hardest part is the proofreading before I send the story off. How many question marks have I avoided to put in their place? How many of those real words aren’t the right words? I’m finishing a story right now that’s the second of my Moonchild series that I had to begin again when I realized this was the hero’s story since he had both the most to lose and the most to win if he didn’t change. Ripping out entire scenes was hard but necessary. Sometimes making the love scenes fresh is hard and they
may be re-written five or six times.

Katya: What was the easiest?

Janet: Plot is the easiest for me. My stories are more plot driven than character driven. Before I begin, in my head I know how the story will flow and then I begin to craft the characters needed to make the story work.

Katya: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Janet: Favorite author. There isn’t just one. There are many authors I like for different reasons. I bill myself as the eclectic writer and my reading habits are about the same. I don’t read horror or even attempt to write it. I’d like to write true science fiction or true action adventure but I don’t have the knowledge. I read Anna Karenina in third grade for a book report and really liked the convoluted plots of Tolstoy but I also like simpler plots. Jennifer Probst has great alpha heroes, Jane Toombs for just her way with words.

Katya: What is your favorite dessert?

Janet: Cherry Pie hands down–with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, especially if there’s just a hint of spice in the filling.

Blurb for her latest release: Born under a dark moon, Norna has to battle rumors that she is tainted by evil and unworthy of being anything more than a servant. Discarded by her mother, she runs away from her aunt, a priestess who wants her to enter the temple. Instead, Norna chooses to be a Healwoman, and a chance encounter with a novice hoping to be a priest helps her discover she has talents of water, air and fire at her disposal. With these gifts she is called on to battle treachery and attempts to prevent the promised prophecy of the god and goddess. As she battles evil powers, she loses her heart to Shandor, the man she met when her journey first began. She must come to grips with Britha who plots against her. Shandor has his own enemy Vorgan. When the pair of foes unite, the battles begin.Connect with Janet:
* Website
* Blog
* Amazon Author Page
* Twitter